The French Justice rejects the extradition to Italy of 10 ex-terrorists of the extreme left

French justice decides not to extradite 10 former members of the Red Brigades.

The French High Court closed this Tuesday, definitively, the possibility that the ex-militants of the extreme left were taken to Italy. There they were found guilty of various terrorist acts in the 70s and 80s, the so-called “years of lead”, and their sentences have yet to be served.

France, however, considers that all of them – eight men and two women – have been living in this country for many years, “where they have a stable family situation and where they have inserted themselves professionally and socially, breaking with Italy.” His extradition, maintains the French justice, would be “a disproportionate attack to their right to respect for private and family life”.

The Paris Court of Appeal had already rejected the extradition request in 2022, and the Supreme Court’s decision definitively closes the door to this option.

Disappointment among the victims

The victims of the former red brigades and their relatives have not hesitated to dismiss the sentence as “shame” and “insult to Italy”.

After arriving in France, the 10 ex-terrorists accepted the so-called “Mitterrand doctrine” —named after the French president from 1981 to 1995, the socialist François Mitterrand—, which established that the former extreme left Italian activists could continue in their country if they renounced violent actions and had no blood crimes on their records.

Things seemed to change after in 2021 the current French president, Emanuel Macron, decided to put an end to this “Mitterrand doctrine” and, in response to requests from Rome when he was president of the Council Mario Draghi, will activate the processing of some extradition requests that have finally been rejected.

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